Woman forced maid to eat her own vomit
Couple face more jail time after being convicted of abusing another helper
A sales manager wedged a funnel into the mouth of one of her maids and forced a mixture of rice and sugar down her throat after the woman complained about not having enough to eat, a court was told.
Chia Yun Ling then ordered Ms Moe Moe Than to eat her own vomit when the domestic worker threw up. The Myanmar national, 32, complied.
Chia also caned the maid and threatened her by saying she would hire an assassin to kill her family members in Myanmar.
District Judge Olivia Low yesterday convicted Chia, 43, of eight assault charges and one count of using abusive words towards the maid. The judge also found the mother of three guilty of six offences. These included forcing the maid to perform her chores in her bra and short pants on one occasion and failing to give her enough food.
Yesterday, Judge Low also convicted Chia's husband, former regional IT manager Tay Wee Kiat, of six assault charges.
Chia and Tay had been in court in March 2017 for abusing another maid, Ms Fitriyah, 34.
This resulted in Tay, 41, being sentenced to two years and four months' jail, while his wife was handed a two-month jail term for assault. The Indonesian, who goes by only one name, was working in the same Yishun flat as Ms Moe Moe Than.
Tay's jail term was raised to three years and seven months, while Chia's sentence remained at two months, following a High Court appeal in March last year. They remained free until the second trial, which concerned the abuse of Ms Moe Moe Than.
Judge Low said yesterday that Ms Moe Moe Than started working at the couple's home on Jan 8, 2012. She testified during the 31-day trial that she was initially given rice and cabbage for meals but was later provided with only plain rice and water.
Judge Low noted a doctor had said Ms Moe Moe Than looked undernourished. When the maid told Chia she had not been given enough food, Chia force-fed her until she vomited.
Chia also slapped and caned the maid. On one occasion, she ordered Ms Moe Moe Than to remove her shorts and underpants before caning her bare skin after some plastic boxes were found to be dusty.
Tay abused Ms Moe Moe Than through acts such as caning and kicking her while she was in a "push-up position".
He also ordered Ms Moe Moe Than and Ms Fitriyah to slap each other after claiming that they had moved a piece of cloth on an altar table in the flat without his permission.
Tay and Chia have been offered bail of $15,000 each. The two Singaporeans are expected to be sentenced on March 18.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
